19 February, 2013

This is the final prototype of a new bag we'll be stocking. It's being made for us by an artisanal
sewing shop right here in Maryland. They are in an old stone mill overlooking a trout stream. A very cool shop with a very talented staff..

The fabric is heavy treated cotton canvas. The color is hunter green (my camera phone didn't get the shade right.) Wickett and Craig of Pennsylvania provide the oiled bridle leather for trim. The hardware is brass. One of the neat features is the stiffener which goes in a long sleeve so no plastic is exposed.

They are designed to be used with, or without, a decaleur. I think quality is better than the Ostrich bags we used to import from Japan. They are very roomy, a little shorter than the Ostrich bags front-to-back, but also a little taller.

We should have the first small batch in a few weeks. Cost will be around $200.

I've been enjoying the Ostrich lately, filled full of groceries, or even a MacBook Air along the diagonal.

This bag has several notable improvement from the Ostrich for sure! A taller bag, shorter front to back, will make the steering a little less heavy. The rear-opening flap is essential as well. Glad to see such a nice bag of such nice materials.

Can you verify that there are still trout in the stream? Must be in Western Maryland.

How will the bottom of the bag attach to the rack? I always thought one of the Ostrich flaws was the single little leather patch on the bottom for a strap. Acorn's approach with four velcro straps on the bottom is very solid.

Nic, There are wild browns and stocked trout in the stream, verified by Perry who has fished it. There is actually lots of good trout fishing within an hour of Annapolis. The Gunpowder River is one of the top 100 streams in the US according to Trout Unlimited.

Mike, With a decaleur I never use a rack strap. But for use without one there are two long nylon patches running front-to-back. These are spaced the same as the width of most front racks. We thought about Velcro, but in my experience it often gets weak in a few years.

I should hope it would fit an iPad. But I am interested in knowing how many liters it would hold. I currently use the Gilles Berthoud 25 Randonneur bag (not made in the USA). I would like to find a well constructed larger bag rather than yet another woefully small bag like Ostrich or Acorn offers. Even Velo Orange already has the 'too small for me' handlebar bag covered.

The slow handling with a full Ostrich (or whatever hbar bag) is most likely due more to the geometry figures of the bike, not so much the shape of the bag. But a more narrow fore/aft bag is easier to access while riding and does not require a longer front rack from my experience.

Also, if folks are looking for another taller bag besides this one, there is always the Berthoud 28 series hbar bags.

We may make panniers, other colors, etc. It all depends on how well these sell.

BTW, The Ostrich and this bag have about the same volume or maybe this one is a little bigger. They are some of the larger bar bags made, bigger than the current VO. I'll make accurate measurements when we get them.

Mike, BTW Gunpowder above the bike trail is well worth a hike. The section just below Prettyboy Dam is, by far, the steepest and prettiest.

Would love to see this in black. I'm not exactly a bag matcher, but mixing various brands of bags on a bike looks best to me if they are at least the same color. I currently have a mixture of Carradice and Ortlieb bags that are all back so they somewhat match. Thanks and nice work!

almost unrelated comment, but yet I feel still relevant to this sort of community of appreciative cyclists-it happens quite often, someone in the fast moving bicycle world trying to convey the quality of an object of interest while employing such inadequate tool as a cellular phone. where the camera clearly is and remains an afterthought ranking far down on the list of importance in features. yet we would never accept such level of craftmanship and attention when it comes to our cycling objects. Just my fiddy cents. this is a general observation and not aimed at this particular picture or instance. I hold everyone here in high regard and very much enjoy the information.

balaenoptera, I think the camera phone among the greatest innovations ever. If I hadn't had it I wouldn't have bothered to take a pic of a prototype during a meeting at the manufacturer's shop. That was spur of the moment. Of course a phone wouldn't do as a camera for a proper product photo or advertisement. But in this case it's the perfect tool.

How would I find your USA-made products on your site? I checked 20 random items but didn't see any called out for it? Is it possible for you to add a "USA-made" filter (see ibex.com for inspiration)? Thanks.